The type of integrated vehicle seat herein contemplated is the type disclosed in commonly assigned copending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/699,375, filed May 14, 1991, entitled "Integrated Child Seat for Vehicle", a continuation of which issued Jul. 6, 1993, as U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,756.
As a lead up to the '756 patent subject matter, certain integrated child seats were made known to the public as prior art. These integrated child seats were constructed to include a vehicle seat comprising a frame assembly for securement within a vehicle including a seat frame assembly and a seat back frame assembly operatively connected with the seat frame assembly so as to be capable of being disposed in a fixed operative position with respect to the seat frame assembly. A seat cushion was carried by the seat frame assembly in a position to enable an adult occupant of the vehicle to sit thereon in an operative position. Side cushions were carried by the seat back frame assembly in positions to be engaged by opposite sides of the back of an adult seat occupant sitting on the seat cushion in the operative position with the seat back frame assembly in the fixed operative position. The side cushions were spaced apart a distance sufficient to define a child receiving space therebetween of a size to enable a child to be disposed therebetween. A plurality of cushion assemblies were mounted on the frame assembly including a movable cushion assembly mounted on the frame assembly for movement between (1) an adult mode position wherein the movable cushion assembly is disposed within the space between the side cushions and provides adult back cushions for engaging the back of an adult seat occupant sitting on the seat cushion, and (2) a child mode position wherein the movable cushion assembly extends from the space between the side cushions to provide a cushioned child's seat extending from the bottom of the space in overlying relation to the seat cushion and the plurality of cushion assemblies provides a cushioned child's seat back extending upwardly from the cushioned child's seat within the space between the side cushions, and a cushioned child's head support above the cushioned child's seat back. A child's seat belt assembly was disposed in operative relation with the seat back frame assembly and extended forwardly of the cushioned child's seat back for extension over the shoulders of a child sitting on the cushioned child's seat. The movable cushion assembly included a rigid seat structure and a structural connection between the rigid seat structure and the seat back frame assembly enabling the movable cushion assembly to be moved between the adult mode and the child mode positions. The rigid seat structure provided a rigid anchor point for the child's seat belt assembly between the legs of a child sitting on the cushioned child's seat.
Moreover, the plurality of cushion assemblies of the vehicle seat included a removable cushion pad assembly including a back section detachably fixed to the seat back support assembly forwardly thereof between the side cushions to provide therewith the cushioned child's seat back and a seat section hingedly connected with the seat back section detachably fixed to the movable cushion assembly of the vehicle seat to provide therewith the cushioned child's seat.
In addition, certain variations in the integrated child seat of the '756 patent were disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,135,285 and 5,106,158, which patents are owned by one of the joint owners of the present application.